Santosh Shirke is a graduate in computer science with over 11 years go experience in the field of animal welfare. He used to volunteer for animal care during his college times and later when he was working with an IT company. He is now extensively involved in operation management at Happy Animals.

 He has worked with several animal welfare organization and has extensive knowledge on management and execution of animal welfare projects. He has overall responsibility to shape, and execute upon, the strategy of the organization in line with the vision and mission. He is passionate about everything he does and is solely responsible for management of resources and compliance with the legal requirements of the organization.  

Santosh has been in the animal welfare field for more than 20 years, overseeing all aspects of animal rescue, including the running of large-scale emergency shelters and traditional shelters as well as the handling and care of dogs, cats and other domestic animals. As a Deputy Animal Welfare Officer, Santosh was responsible for enforcing animal cruelty laws and was also involved in liaising with government departments on encouraging better treatment of animals and compliance of laws.